Wheel-hub.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUOIUS T. GIBBS, `OF NEW YORK, N.. Y., ASSIGrNORl TO VEHICLE EQUIPMENTCOMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

- WHEEL-HUB;

SPECIFICATION forming pare of Lettersratent No. 700,032, dated May 1e,1902.

Application tiled September 11, 1901. Serial No. 74,993. (No model.) I

To all wwnt t may vconcer-71,:

Be it known that I, LUCIUS T. GIBBS, a citi! sion of means for thesupport of the wheel.

bearing or box in the hub in such manner that it will be vsecurelymaintained in iixed relationship to the hub and spokes, and, secondly,to permit the ready replacing of any spoke or spokes which may bedefective or broken without displacingany ot' the remaining spokes orremovingthe flanges of the hub.

The nature and object of my said improvement will be better understoodfrom a consideration of the plan of construction employed in theordinary forms of wheel-hub of the general class to which the inventionpertains. In such hubs it has heretofore been customary to bolt twoiianges together over a wooden core, the spokes being disposed betweenthe flanges and mortised into the wooden core.- The bearing." or box isthen driven into a hole bored through the center of the wooden core. Inhubs of this general plan of construction, however, it will be notedthat the bearing or box is held in position solely by the wood, so thatshould the latter shrink or swell the bearing or box is liable to bethrown more or less out of line. It is also impossible in such forms toreplace one spoke without disarranging the others while bolting theflanges. In other forms of hub which are usually cast in a single piecethe spokes aredriven into spoke-holes; but

the practicability of this construction requires the wheel to be Welltired in order to keep the spokes tight in the hub. Any shrinkage of thespokes in the drive will cause them to become loose. In order to avoidthese objections and at the same time to secure what vis regardedasessentialv in wheel-workthat Vtion.

true;

Figure l is a longitudinal central section of my improved hub, and Fig.2 an end ,elevation of thesame. A designates a malleable-iron or steelcasting in one piece, with spoke-holes disposed symmetrically around thecenter anges and 6o an inwardly-extending liange at one end. I usuallycast these spoke-holes straight in sec- Into this casting is pressed ordriven a wooden core B, after which the hubv is placed in a machineand'the wooden core and 65 outer end C of the casting boi-edo utperfectly At the same time the inner end of the cylindrical casting isbored out to a slightly larger diameter, as shown at D. The twovsurfaces C and Dforrn supports for the bear- 7o ing or box F, which ispressed into them.

` The wooden core B has small holes E, preferably rectangular insection, mortised into it, and the inner ends of the spokes H are formedwith corresponding tenons G, which fit tightly intothe holes E. Thespokes when inserted in place are thus supported by the casting A and attheir inner ends by the mortises E.

It will be seen from the above description 8o that the bearing or box Fhas a support at eachfend in the iron or steel hub, and this not' onlysecures a stronger and truer hub, butzitV renders it easily possible toinsert a new box orbearing when necessary or to replace a spoke wheneveroccasion requires by simply drawing out such as may be defectiveandinserting a new one in its-place without displacing or disturbing anyof the others.

Having-now described my invention, what 9o I claimris- A wheel-hubcomprising in combination a single-casting A, a tubular wooden core Bdriven or pressed into the same, the outer end of said casting having anopening equal in diameter to that through the wooden core,

and the inner end being of greater diame- LUCI'US T. GrIBBS.A

Witnesses: I i

M. Lawson DYER, BENJAMIN MILLER.

